Even in places where it's a good fit, like Alsace, Friuli, Trentino-Alto Adige and Oregon's Willamette Valley, the wine involves plenty of risk and offers uncertain reward.

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According to the Swiss Federal Environment Office, M13 was one of about 40 individuals originating in the Trentino Alto Adige area of Italy, where a reintroduction program is under way.

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As for Italian wines, I'll be obliged to drink fewer from the north, since I paid more attention to regions like Piedmont and Friuli and Alto Adige than I did to, say, Campania, Abruzzi and Puglia in the south.

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